Contributing to the future of mankind through energy efficiency

For Landis+Gyr, the iHomeLab represents the way of the future. Founded by Professor Alexander Klapproth in conjunction with the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences in 2008, the centre studies building and home automation applications to enable energy efficiency, comfort and safety for intelligent living.

The centre’s dynamic approach to developing ways to enable intelligent living is unique in Europe. As a partner, Landis+Gyr is proud to contribute its knowledge, expertise and cutting-edge products and solutions to the centre, where it is currently looking at ways to make smart metering an integral part of everyday life.

The research centre is conducting a series of projects looking at ways to make home automation, or better known as ‘intelligent living’ a reality. This topic is particularly relevant today as the population in the developed world begins to age without being replaced by a younger generation – a growing statistic will need help in the home every day of their lives regarding comfort and safety levels within the home. Moreover, with energy resources rapidly depleting, the need to create increased energy efficiency is greater than ever. This means that measures such as smart metering are necessities in order to ensure that future generations can continue to enjoy a good standard of living thanks to better managed resources and energy application.

Landis+Gyr is currently working on a new research project with the iHomeLab: the project is designed to develop technical infrastructure to enable smart metering applications in buildings based on IP and ZigBee technology. This infrastructure and practical smart metering applications will be presented in the research centre in order to demonstrate the positive impact and benefits of energy management.

“The way we live is changing constantly. The purpose of the iHomeLab is to educate people about automated living and how it can change our lives for the better. Our research projects are run by professional teams here at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences who are working in conjunction with industry leaders such as Landis+Gyr to make our vision of the future a reality.”

Looking to future projects, Prof Klapproth says that an automated world is his next vision, “a hotel where people can stay and experience first-hand what home automation really means is something that I would like to realize. This would help demonstrate the concept and the ease with which energy efficiency can be administered and utilized by the individual.”
“Energy meters were banned to the cellars for more than a century, and energy consumption just happened. Today meters become smart, and tomorrow energy measurement will be a part of our daily life. The iHomeLab is an excellent media to convoy this message. We are proud to contribute to this unique experimental lab,” says Peter Kieffer, Country Manager Switzerland at Landis+Gyr.

For more information, contact Peter Kieffer